Villanueva, Hagedorn join forces to boost poll chances

MANILA, Philippines – Both facing an uphill battle in their senatorial bids, independent candidates Bro. Eddie Villanueva and Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward Hagedorn have agreed to join forces and hopefully, make it to the Magic 12 in the May midterm elections.

Villanueva and Hagedorn, who are “old friends,” forged what they called an “unwritten covenant to support each other during the campaign.”‘
Last weekend, the Jesus is Lord leader finalized his “alliance” with Hagedorn during his visit to Puerto Princesa.
In a statement, Villanueva said on Sunday “Mayor Hagedorn and I have come up with an unwritten covenant to support each other’s senatorial campaign.”
“He is a long-time friend. He shares in principle my belief that no one should be left out of the country’s economic growth, which sits at the core of my advocacy of being the voice of the saguiguilid, or the country’s marginalized sectors, in the Senate… As part of our understanding, we will be jointly conducting certain provincial campaign sorties in Davao and Bulacan,” he noted.
In the Palawan capital, Villanueva kicked off his weekend visit with a courtesy call to Hagedorn.
It was followed by a meeting with Palawan board member Chicoy Alvarez, whom he said had vowed to support his senatorial bid.
He later held a dialogue with representatives of multisectoral groups where he discussed his platform, which he refers to as the “3Es,” short for “Ekonomiyang Agresibo at Walang Napag-iiwanan, Edukasyon na Napapanahon at Entre-Pinly na Masang Pilipino ang Nangunguna at Nakikinabang.”
Villanueva later joined Hagedorn and city residents in the celebration of the annual Balayong, or Cherry Blossoms Festival.
“The impressive display of colors and tradition during the Balayong Festival really reflects the city’s unique culture and its people’s hospitality and friendly outlook,” he observed.
According to the JIL head, they were “treated to a lot more than what we expected” in Puerto Princesa.
“It made my visit to the city a lot more memorable,” he said, adding “I’ve always treated Palawan as my second home.”
After launching his senatorial bid on Feb. 12 with a big rally at the Bulacan Provincial Capitol gymnasium in Malolos City, Villanueva conducted campaign sorties in Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Manila.
This week, he is scheduled to visit Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro, among other provinces.